After lunch on Easter Monday we visited Hodnet Hall gardens which is always a lovely place to visit. We also had high hopes for the illusive piece of cake that we missed out on during our previous days travels. On arrival it was suggested that we didn’t park in the visitor car park due to a downpour of rain in the morning that had caused the ground to be muddy and soggy. We accepted the advice and parked on one of the suggested areas at the back of the hall.

Rather than head straight to the tea room we elected to take the nearest path into the garden, a route I had not walked before. The path was down a slight incline with surface mud and water. All of a sudden I found myself sliding downhill on one foot, placing my other foot on the ground only increased the speed of my slide. I chose to sit down rather than gain even more moment with the potential of falling over and breaking some bones. Mr C turned round in alarm but found me laughing at my predicament. My only worry was would I be able to get up again?

Firmly on two feet we walked the upper part of the gardens before stopping for a well earned piece of cake which we chose to eat outside, this lead to us  having an interesting conversation with Sir Algenon before we resumed our walk around the gardens.

Recently I have been reading a local guidebook to give me new inspiration for places to visit in Shropshire. One of the places sounded perfect for the beautiful summer weather that we have been experiencing, so the weekend before last I decided it would be nice to take Mr C out to a mystery location for lunch.

He was a little bit reluctant to go out for lunch, but I persuaded him. I programmed the SatNav and it took us on a delightful magical mystery tour. That SatNav route took us in quite a different direction than I would have instinctively chosen. We arrived at our countryside destination in a timely manner avoiding the nearby town.

Our destination was Shropshire Lavender, a small family run lavender farm with a tea room serving freshly baked cakes and scones. The lavender farm is set in the rolling Shropshire countryside about 3 miles from the market town of Newport on the North Shropshire-Staffordshire border.

Choosing lunch was difficult… should I opt for a lavender scone or lavender and lemon cake. I chose the latter and did not regret my choice

When we had finished our visit to the lavender farm we weren’t quite ready to go home, so we perused the mapbook for a nearby place of interest. We settled on Boscobel House famous as hiding places of King Charles II after defeat at the Battle of Worcester in 1651.

Later in the day we enjoyed fine dining on the patio

We picked up my Mum and set off on our journey to Windsor which took rather longer than expected due to the volume of traffic on the bank holiday weekend. Whilst we were driving around Windsor struggling to find a place to park we spotted my nephew and his lady friend outside Windsor Castle and Mr C heckled them.

Once we had found a parking space and met up with them we made our way to lunch in a quaintly named cafe Madame POSH. It is a delightful patisserie and home emporium. We sat on elegant chairs amongst pottery, glasses, linen, silk flowers and other similar items. The food was good, I had chosen a waffle and by the time we had sat down and the food had arrived it was 3 o’clock and we were flagging a little because it was a long time since breakfast. We chatted over lunch and then walked along the River Thames and across the bridge into Eton to see the college.

We then returned to the car so to make our way to Ye Olde Bell where we were staying for the weekend. We detoured on the way so that we could drop my nephew off and he could show us around his flat. The flat, which he shares with others, is nice and cosy. When we checked into the hotel we found out that my Mum’s room was in a separate building even though we had been assured when we made the booking that the rooms would be in the same building. Ye Olde Bell has several buildings with accommodation and also a barn suitable for weddings and other events.

After freshening up we caught a taxi back into Windsor and met up with my nephew and his lady for dinner in The Boatman restaurant. We sat outside in an open top conservatory with large, open windows. The roof was slowly rolled shut in stages as the sun went down. It was a perfect setting for a warm summer’s evening. Before the roof was finally closed we were able to watch the aeroplanes taking off from nearby Heathrow Airport. Apart from being a nice place to dine it was a plane spotter’s paradise.

The company was delightful and the food was good although there was a bit of a challenge in finding vegan options. The waitress however was extremely helpful and gave suggestions that she then went and asked the chef to prepare.

After we had dined the taxi returned to take us back to Ye Olde Bell. Mum went to bed after the long day whilst Mr C and I had a nightcap. We had a bit of a banter with the foreign bartender, after which he proclaimed ‘I Manuel’ meaning in the style of Fawlty Towers.

Unfortunately our peace and tranquility was disturbed by Mr C’s phone ringing… Someone was unrealistically for that time of night (and distance) expecting his logistical problem to be solved immediately…

Ride a cock horse to Banbury Cross,
To see a fine lady upon a white horse;
With rings on her fingers and bells on her toes,
She shall have music wherever she goes.

On sunday we set off to Banbury, albeit taking a rather more conventional method of transport than a horse for a family gathering. Banbury was the chosen location because it was more or less central for for everyone to meet. The excuse was the return of a jacket to the owner who had left it in our house over Christmas (as if we ever really need an excuse to meet up ). The Shropshire travellers stopped off to see Banbury Cross and the fine lady on her white horse, although she was looking bronze rather than white…

The family gathering was in the Saye & Sele Arms in Broughton just outside Banbury. The owners and staff were warm and welcoming and we had a wonderful afternoon chatting and catching up with each other which was enhanced by lovely food and service.

Whilst we were there Mr C and I noticed a sign to Broughton Castle and we just had to do a detour before we left for home. Unfortunately we could not see the castle from the roadside so out of curiosity I looked it up on the internet. It piqued my interest and we hope to return later in the year when it is open for visitors.

When we return to visit Broughton Castle we might call in to sample some pancakes in the delightful Little Amsterdam Cafe where we stopped for a refreshing drink in Banbury before making our way to the Saye & Sele for lunch.

Yesterday some good friends visited for the afternoon, a good time was had by all.

I received this via email yesterday and everyone had a good chuckle about it.

Enjoy

Anyone planning to dash through the snow in a one horse open sleigh, going over the fields and laughing all the way are advised that a Risk Assessment will be required, addressing the safety of an open sleigh for members of the public. This assessment must also consider whether it is appropriate to use only one horse for such a venture, particularly where there are multiple passengers.

Please note that permission must also be obtained in writing from landowners before their fields may be entered. To avoid offending those not participating in celebrations, we would request that laughter is moderate only and not loud enough to be considered a noise nuisance.

Benches, stools and orthopedic chairs are now available for collection by any shepherds planning or required to watch their flocks at night. While provision has also been made for remote monitoring of flocks by CCTV cameras from a centrally heated shepherd observation hut, all users of this facility are reminded that an emergency response plan must be submitted to account for known risks to the flocks and any lone working undertaken by more traditional shepherds in remote locations.
The angel of the Lord is additionally reminded that, prior to shining his/her glory all around, s/he must confirm that all shepherds are wearing appropriate Personal Protective Equipment to mitigate the harmful effects of UVA, UVB and the overwhelming effects of Glory.

Following last year’s well-publicised case, everyone is advised that equal opportunities legislation prohibits any comment with regard to the redness of any part of Mr R. Reindeer. Further to this, exclusion of Mr R. Reindeer from reindeer games will be considered discriminatory and disciplinary action will be taken against those found guilty of this offense.

While it is acknowledged that gift bearing is a common practice in various parts of the world, particularly the Orient, everyone is reminded that the bearing of gifts is subject to Hospitality Guidelines and all gifts must be registered. This applies regardless of the individual, even Royal personages. It is particularly noted that direct gifts of currency or gold are specifically precluded, while caution is advised regarding other common gifts such as aromatic resins that may evoke allergic reactions.

Finally, in the recent instance of the infant found tucked up in a manger without any crib for a bed, Social Services have been advised and will be arriving shortly!

I have had a hectic few days (again…).  In the past couple of weeks the kitchen and the dining room have been decorated. This  involved emptying the dining room and returning everything to it’s place before visitors arrived to stay over the weekend.  It was almost back in one piece before they arrived on Saturday, but not quite!

There was a busy itinerary whilst my visitors were with me;  Attingham Park, evening dinner at Mum’s, Daniels mill (I remembered my camera this time), Dudmaston Hall, Much Wenlock and a Sunday evening meal out.  On the morning of their departure (Monday) my visitors got up unexpectedly early leaving me feeling rather spaced out.  Their early departure did however leave me with plenty of time to get ready for my afternoon ‘bloggy meet up’.

Ginnie (from Vision & Verb) and Astrid were visiting the UK and had arranged a meet up with friends who blog at Shutterchance.  You might recall I met them both at the Black Country Museum last year.  This year they had arranged the meet up at Blists Hill museum, which is not far from Ironbridge.  It was so lovely to see them both (and the other shutterchancers) again.  We all had a fun afternoon together exploring Blists Hill, chatting and getting to know each other better.  Oh! I nearly forgot, we all took lots of photos too

I booked today off to relax, but…

The day was taken up washing glasses and ornaments before returning them to the dining room.  I moved some furniture around too, to make better use of the room.  I am pleased with the result

I invite you to join me at Vision & Verb where I share my life long enjoyment of board games.

I am sure this will be controversial but it made me laugh

You might not have known this, but a lot of inanimate objects are actually either male or female.
Here are some examples:-

FREEZER BAGS:
They are male, because they hold everything in, but you can see right through them.

PHOTOCOPIERS:
These are female, because once turned off, it takes a while to warm them up again. They are an effective reproductive device if the right buttons are pushed, but can also wreak havoc if you push the wrong buttons.

TYRES:
Tyres are male, because they go bald easily and are often over inflated.

HOT AIR BALLOONS:
Also a male object, because to get them to go anywhere, you have to light a fire under their arse.

SPONGES:
These are female, because they are soft, squeezable and retain water.

WEB PAGES:
Female, because they’re constantly being looked at and frequently getting hit on.

TRAINS:
Definitely male, because they always use the same old lines for picking up people.

EGG TIMERS:
Egg timers are female because, over time, all the weight shifts to the bottom.

HAMMERS:
Male, because in the last 5000 years, they’ve hardly changed at all, and are occasionally handy to have around.

THE REMOTE CONTROL:
Female. Ha! You probably thought it would be male, but consider this: It easily gives a man pleasure, he’d be lost without it, and while he doesn’t always know which buttons to push, he just keeps trying.